April Rankings of Top 55

Draft Class: 2024

Published: Apr. 17 at 2:21 p.m.

Description

Tier 11 is very large, so I would probably trade down to the late 3rd if none of these players were left on the board in the late 2nd.

DRAFT

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Round 1
1. Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) (Details: Tier 1 -- Clear first overall; safe pick with a very respectable ceiling).
2. Ivan Demidov (Chicago Blackhawks) (Details: Tier 2 ---- Clear second overall; high upside pick).
3. Cayden Lindstrom (Anaheim Ducks) (Details: Tier 3 ------ No longer the clear choice at number three; injury concerns and an uninspiring playoff performance call his value into question.).
4. Zeev Buium (Columbus Blue Jackets) (Details: Is his production inflated this season? Yes. Is he an excellent prospect anyway? Also, yes. His defensive game is coming along nicely as well.).
5. Zayne Parekh (Montreal Canadiens) (Details: High risk, high reward pick; a strong playoff performance thus far helps solidify his spot at the top of the draft.).
6. Cole Eiserman (Arizona Coyotes) (Details: Tier 4 -------- There's a lot to work on with Eiserman, but the potential is great. I'm not even a huge fan of the sniper archetype, so I'm not sure why so many people have him ranked a lot lower than this. I suspect he will rise back into the top ten on a lot of lists before the end).
7. Artyom Levshunov (Ottawa Senators) (Details: I'm not as sold on him as most seem to be, but he's still a high end prospect. Really athletic player with lots of potential).
8. Berkly Catton (Calgary Flames) (Details: Not the greatest playoff run, but I think some people were a bit harsh in their reaction).
9. Tij Iginla (Seattle Kraken) (Details: Broke into the top 11 with a strong performance in the first round of the playoffs).
10. Sam Dickinson (Buffalo Sabres) (Details: I think Dickinson is capable of more, but it's hard to put him above other prospects who are actually showing that they are).
11. Trevor Connelly (New Jersey Devils) (Details: Connelly is very talented; the only question is whether you want him in your organization and on your team).
12. Carter Yakemchuk (Philadelphia Flyers) (Details: Tier 5 ---------- Yakemchuk is very skilled for a defenseman his size. I don't think he quite belongs with the top prospects, but I like him better than the rest of the field.).
13. Konsta Helenius (Washington Capitals) (Details: He's smart and produces well, but it's not enough to put him with the players above).
14. Anton Silayev (Minnesota Wild) (Details: An intriguing profile, but ultimately I think more offence or more elite defence is needed to justify a higher selection).
15. Beckett Sennecke (San Jose Sharks from Pittsburgh Penguins) (Details: Tier 6 ------------ Sennecke is a player I liked a lot last season, and he's played his way back into the top 20 after falling out of it during the first half of the season. His combination of skill and size make him an interesting high upside bet at this stage.).
16. Liam Greentree (Detroit Red Wings) (Details: Doesn't have the type of pace I would like, but he accomplished a lot on a terrible team).
17. Michael Hage (New York Islanders) (Details: Another bet on upside, Hage's ability to play a skilled game at high speed make him a good candidate to reach a top six role in the NHL.).
18. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (St. Louis Blues) (Details: MBN is a very effective hockey player, who is almost certain to be a middle six calibre player. He's a good, safe pick for a team that already has a strong core in place.).
19. Igor Chernyshov (Vegas Golden Knights) (Details: Chernyshov is another player with a lot of potential. His size and power game could work very well at the NHL level, and his defensive game isn't half bad either.).
20. Andrew Basha (Los Angeles Kings) (Details: Basha could play a variety of roles at the NHL level depending on where he lands in a top 9. He rounds out the top 20 for me.).
21. Teddy Stiga (Chicago Blackhawks from Tampa Bay Lightning) (Details: Tier 7 ---------------- From here, the draft really starts to open up, so there's lots of room for players in tiers 7-10 to move up or down the rankings. Stiga was a player I had previously ranked too low, so thanks to Zora for getting me to go back and realize my mistake. He's got great skating, surprising levels of skill, and the ability to play up and down the lineup effectively.).
22. Terik Parascak (Nashville Predators) (Details: Prince George is so dominant that it's hard to really judge Parascak's playoff performance so far. I'd take a player with his smarts and production at this point in the draft.).
23. Harrison Brunicke (Toronto Maple Leafs) (Details: Brunicke is a very skilled defenseman whose production really doesn't warrant a selection this high in the draft, but who I think has potential to be a steal four or five years down the road).
24. Nikita Artamonov (Anaheim Ducks from Edmonton Oilers) (Details: Artamonov's great run in the KHL sputtered in the second half and ended in lacklustre fashion. He showed enough promise in the first half to keep him from falling too far though.).
25. Dean Letourneau (Montreal Canadiens from Winnipeg Jets) (Details: I'm not sure that Letourneau ends up being anything at the NHL level, but players with his size and skill level are worth taking just in case.).
26. Sacha Boisvert (Philadelphia Flyers from Florida Panthers) (Details: Tier 8 ------------------ Boisvert's skating needs work, but there's a solid player there if it can be improved).
27. Yegor Surin (Colorado Avalanche) (Details: Surin is a hard-working pest who is strong on the forecheck and has underrated skill. He's been great in the MHL playoffs as a 17 year old.).
28. Dominik Badinka (Calgary Flames from Vancouver Canucks) (Details: Badinka is a big, mobile, physical defender who is great at defending the rush. Probably a middle pairing guy if he pans out.).
29. Charlie Elick (Carolina Hurricanes) (Details: Elick is another physical defensive defenseman with size who could earn a middle pairing role).
30. Kamil Bednarik (Ottawa Senators from Boston Bruins) (Details: A strong, well-rounded, two-way forward who plays a mature game).
31. Adam Jiricek (Dallas Stars) (Details: This is probably too low for Jiricek given the upside, but I like the players I have above him better at this point.).
32. Ryder Ritchie (New York Rangers) (Details: A strong playoff performance brings Ritchie back into the first round).

Round 2
33. Luke Misa (San Jose Sharks) (Details: Misa is a bit on the small side, but he plays with pace and vision.).
34. Miguel Marques (Chicago Blackhawks) (Details: A bit inconsistent, but he shows a lot of potential when he's playing his best.).
35. Jesse Pulkkinen (Anaheim Ducks) (Details: Pulkkinen was eligible for the draft last season, and teams should be regretting passing on him, as he's developed into a big, physical defenseman who shows good skill on the puck.).
36. Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers from Columbus Blue Jackets) (Details: Luchanko is a versatile forward who plays with high end speed and intensity. The ideal spot for him would be a third line role, but he could potentially play up the lineup in a complementary role if needed.).
37. EJ Emery (Winnipeg Jets from Montreal Canadiens) (Details: Tier 9 --------------------).
38. Emil Hemming (Arizona Coyotes).
39. Alfons Freij (Ottawa Senators).
40. Marek Vanacker (Calgary Flames).
41. John Mustard (Seattle Kraken).
42. Henry Mews (Buffalo Sabres).
43. Aron Kiviharju (San Jose Sharks from New Jersey Devils).
44. Cole Hutson (Pittsburgh Penguins from Philadelphia Flyers).
45. Lucas Pettersson (Arizona Coyotes from Washington Capitals).
46. Adam Kleber (Minnesota Wild) (Details: Tier 10 ----------------------).
47. Tarin Smith (Pittsburgh Penguins).
48. Tanner Howe (Detroit Red Wings).
49. Matvei Gridin (New York Islanders).
50. Spencer Gill (St. Louis Blues).
51. Clarke Caswell (Philadelphia Flyers).
52. Cole Beaudoin (Washington Capitals from Vegas Golden Knights).
53. Leo Sahlin Wallenius (Chicago Blackhawks from Los Angeles Kings).
54. Stian Solberg (Nashville Predators from Tampa Bay Lightning).
55. Linus Eriksson (Nashville Predators).

CapFriendly.com User-Generated Mock-Draft

ROUND 1	TEAM	ORIGINAL	PLAYER	DETAILS

1	-	Macklin Celebrini	Tier 1 -- Clear first overall; safe pick with a very respectable ceiling
2	-	Ivan Demidov	Tier 2 ---- Clear second overall; high upside pick
3	-	Cayden Lindstrom	Tier 3 ------ No longer the clear choice at number three; injury concerns and an uninspiring playoff performance call his value into question.
4	-	Zeev Buium	Is his production inflated this season? Yes. Is he an excellent prospect anyway? Also, yes. His defensive game is coming along nicely as well.
5	-	Zayne Parekh	High risk, high reward pick; a strong playoff performance thus far helps solidify his spot at the top of the draft.
6	-	Cole Eiserman	Tier 4 -------- There's a lot to work on with Eiserman, but the potential is great. I'm not even a huge fan of the sniper archetype, so I'm not sure why so many people have him ranked a lot lower than this. I suspect he will rise back into the top ten on a lot of lists before the end
7	-	Artyom Levshunov	I'm not as sold on him as most seem to be, but he's still a high end prospect. Really athletic player with lots of potential
8	-	Berkly Catton	Not the greatest playoff run, but I think some people were a bit harsh in their reaction
9	-	Tij Iginla	Broke into the top 11 with a strong performance in the first round of the playoffs
10	-	Sam Dickinson	I think Dickinson is capable of more, but it's hard to put him above other prospects who are actually showing that they are
11	-	Trevor Connelly	Connelly is very talented; the only question is whether you want him in your organization and on your team
12	-	Carter Yakemchuk	Tier 5 ---------- Yakemchuk is very skilled for a defenseman his size. I don't think he quite belongs with the top prospects, but I like him better than the rest of the field.
13	-	Konsta Helenius	He's smart and produces well, but it's not enough to put him with the players above
14	-	Anton Silayev	An intriguing profile, but ultimately I think more offence or more elite defence is needed to justify a higher selection
15		Beckett Sennecke	Tier 6 ------------ Sennecke is a player I liked a lot last season, and he's played his way back into the top 20 after falling out of it during the first half of the season. His combination of skill and size make him an interesting high upside bet at this stage.
16	-	Liam Greentree	Doesn't have the type of pace I would like, but he accomplished a lot on a terrible team
17	-	Michael Hage	Another bet on upside, Hage's ability to play a skilled game at high speed make him a good candidate to reach a top six role in the NHL.
18	-	Michael Brandsegg-Nygård	MBN is a very effective hockey player, who is almost certain to be a middle six calibre player. He's a good, safe pick for a team that already has a strong core in place.
19	-	Igor Chernyshov	Chernyshov is another player with a lot of potential. His size and power game could work very well at the NHL level, and his defensive game isn't half bad either.
20	-	Andrew Basha	Basha could play a variety of roles at the NHL level depending on where he lands in a top 9. He rounds out the top 20 for me.
21		Teddy Stiga	Tier 7 ---------------- From here, the draft really starts to open up, so there's lots of room for players in tiers 7-10 to move up or down the rankings. Stiga was a player I had previously ranked too low, so thanks to Zora for getting me to go back and realize my mistake. He's got great skating, surprising levels of skill, and the ability to play up and down the lineup effectively.
22	-	Terik Parascak	Prince George is so dominant that it's hard to really judge Parascak's playoff performance so far. I'd take a player with his smarts and production at this point in the draft.
23	-	Harrison Brunicke	Brunicke is a very skilled defenseman whose production really doesn't warrant a selection this high in the draft, but who I think has potential to be a steal four or five years down the road
24		Nikita Artamonov	Artamonov's great run in the KHL sputtered in the second half and ended in lacklustre fashion. He showed enough promise in the first half to keep him from falling too far though.
25		Dean Letourneau	I'm not sure that Letourneau ends up being anything at the NHL level, but players with his size and skill level are worth taking just in case.
26		Sacha Boisvert	Tier 8 ------------------ Boisvert's skating needs work, but there's a solid player there if it can be improved
27	-	Yegor Surin	Surin is a hard-working pest who is strong on the forecheck and has underrated skill. He's been great in the MHL playoffs as a 17 year old.
28		Dominik Badinka	Badinka is a big, mobile, physical defender who is great at defending the rush. Probably a middle pairing guy if he pans out.
29	-	Charlie Elick	Elick is another physical defensive defenseman with size who could earn a middle pairing role
30		Kamil Bednarik	A strong, well-rounded, two-way forward who plays a mature game
31	-	Adam Jiricek	This is probably too low for Jiricek given the upside, but I like the players I have above him better at this point.
32	-	Ryder Ritchie	A strong playoff performance brings Ritchie back into the first round

ROUND 2	TEAM	ORIGINAL	PLAYER	DETAILS

33	-	Luke Misa	Misa is a bit on the small side, but he plays with pace and vision.
34	-	Miguel Marques	A bit inconsistent, but he shows a lot of potential when he's playing his best.
35	-	Jesse Pulkkinen	Pulkkinen was eligible for the draft last season, and teams should be regretting passing on him, as he's developed into a big, physical defenseman who shows good skill on the puck.
36		Jett Luchanko	Luchanko is a versatile forward who plays with high end speed and intensity. The ideal spot for him would be a third line role, but he could potentially play up the lineup in a complementary role if needed.
37		EJ Emery	Tier 9 --------------------
38	-	Emil Hemming
39	-	Alfons Freij
40	-	Marek Vanacker
41	-	John Mustard
42	-	Henry Mews
43		Aron Kiviharju
44		Cole Hutson
45		Lucas Pettersson
46	-	Adam Kleber	Tier 10 ----------------------
47	-	Tarin Smith
48	-	Tanner Howe
49	-	Matvei Gridin
50	-	Spencer Gill
51	-	Clarke Caswell
52		Cole Beaudoin
53		Leo Sahlin Wallenius
54		Stian Solberg
55	-	Linus Eriksson
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